Featured Clients: Doug Sovern

Our featured client Doug Sovern is one of the most multitalented people we know! An award-winning journalist, songwriter, and bassist in two rock groups, Doug has added successful fiction writer to his diverse résumé. He broke new ground with his Twitter novel, TweetHeart, written entirely in tweets. Doug’s writing has been featured in numerous publications including Narrative, Sand Hill Review, and Crack The Spine. Watch Doug’s video here!

In Doug Sovern’s Own Words

I just started writing short stories two years ago, and last year, I was encouraged to start submitting to magazines. I sent one off and had no success. Then I heard about Writer’s Relief. I have a busy life and only so much time for writing. I was daunted by how long it was taking to research magazines and journals, determine where to send my stories, and submit them. I figured, why not give Writer’s Relief a try? So, I sent them my first story. They gave me 25 or so places to send it—and a month later, it was accepted by a literary journal! I was stunned and ecstatic. It was a magazine I would never have found on my own. Since then, I have had eight acceptances in all—in just one year!—and I’ve been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and a couple of anthologies. I could NEVER have pulled this off without the help of Writer’s Relief. They really keep me in a productive groove, and they proofread and format all my work. They know the publishing industry so well, answer my questions, and solve my problems. I have newborn twins, so now I have even LESS time to write, and what little time I do have is precious. I want to spend my time creating, not managing my submissions and my fledgling fiction career. Writer’s Relief has been a godsend. Someday soon, they will help me get my first book published. Thank you, Writer’s Relief!

More About Doug Sovern

Doug Sovern’s debut short story appeared in 2013 in Gemini Magazine and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Since then, his fiction has been featured in Narrative, Sand Hill Review, Black & White, Crack The Spine, Hobo Pancakes, Green Hills Literary Lantern, and The Penmen Review, and has also been nominated for the Best of the West anthology. His nonfiction has appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle. In 2011, he wrote the groundbreaking novel-in-tweets TweetHeart. He is a much-honored political and investigative reporter at KCBS Radio in San Francisco, and has won almost 200 awards for his work in journalism. He worked previously at The New York Times and Associated Press Radio. Doug has covered every presidential election since 1988 and has reported from every continent except Antarctica. He is also a professional bassist and songwriter, performing satirical songs on the radio with the Not Ready For Drive Time Singers. He is a member of the Writers Studio, San Francisco, a graduate of Brown University, and lives in Oakland, California, with his wife and their twins.